Thermal-responsive materials—shape memory alloys (SMA) and shape memory polymers (SMP)—are capable of switching between shapes upon exposure to a particular thermal environment. This unique property can be utilized to enhance the performance of many biomedical devices. However, known materials have certain physical property limitations that hinder broad use in biomedical applications. Some of these properties include low deformability (<8%), the necessity of high-temperature and time-consuming processing, as well as poor biocompatibility and degradability. Such properties are beneficial in, for example, the surgical removal of bone segments, a common treatment for osteosarcoma. The lack of a bone segment presents substantial problems for the patients, which are typically addressed by bone grafts. Bone cement such as Plexiglas, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), is used in joint, hip and shoulder replacement surgeries to bond metallic devices with bone. The benefits of such surgeries suffer from a relatively short lifetime due to PMMA's limited capacity to integrate with bony tissue and susceptibility to fatigue and fracture. Moreover, these organic scaffolds are intrinsically weak, and do not provide immediate solutions for large skeletal defects where moderate loads are expected. Thus, there is a need to develop materials that overcome both the limitations of currently employed materials and a need to develop bone substitutes that provide flexibility that facilitates surgical fitting, a degree of porosity to promote osteointegration, and strength and toughness against compressive forces.